Avery Fineman wrote:
In article , Dennis Howdy
writes:


Serious question. What does "73" mean?

I have a stack of "73"mags. I'm not a ham however.
If I was, I of course would know.

Anybody? I know it's a stupid question, but I don't know.


After 1844 (the year of the first commercial telegraph service in the
USA, Baltimore, MD to Washington, DC), the blazing speed of the
early electromechanical sounders made it necessary for
commercial telegraphers to to use abbreviations for standard
phrases in telegrams. It gave telegraphers a chance to send more
telegrams during a workday, increase their profits, etc., etc.

A whole bunch of different two-number sub-codes were invented
and used. Few survive to today since morse codes have survived
only in amateur radio.

One of the enduring sub-codes is "73" meaning "Best regards."
Hams use it on voice, as well. It has become traditional jargon.

Morse code did NOT begin as the character = dot-dash group
but was originally ALL numbers! Morse got a financial and lab
mentor in railroad heir Alfred Vail who is reported to have suggested
a change from the all-number code to one where each letter,
number, and common punctuation mark has a unique dot-dash
group. This latter improvement, along with a way to increase the
distance of a landline by using a "relay" of an electromagnet whose
magnetically-coupled switch substituted for a telegrapher's key in
an unmanned telegraph line relay station. Up to three such
"relays" could be used on a wired telegraph circuit. That may or
may not be the etymological origin of the word "relay" as the
component we know today.

The final version of morse code coding still doesn't allow much real
speed in communication so a number of abbreviations were used as
well as telegraphers' own jargon. One of those latter was the "R"
sent as or after simple queries, meaning "okay?" or "okay"
respectively. The dit-dah-dit of "R" has a nice little pattern to it and
is intuitive for that. It continued on into radio after 1896..."R" meaning
"okay" or "all right." With WW2's widespread use of radio of all kinds,
operators on voice followed suit with the phonetic alphabet "R" or
"Roger." "Roger" as an affirmative caught on and became common
jargon on voice. In spoken language it has found its own niche in
military use exemplified by "roger that!" meaning very affirmative. :-)

"Q codes" are an example of three-letter sub-codes to mean whole
phrases, either as queries (followed by a question mark) or as
responses (followed by answer information). Those came about in
radio since the letter "Q" was seldom used in English words...and
the transistor hadn't been invented yet. :-) "QSY" was a query as
to the exact frequency of a station (with spark transmitters that was
more of a guess) but stayed around until WW2 when it was used on
voice and teleprinter as a command to change frequency. "QSY
Frisco George to 6885" would be an abbreviated command on either
a telephone or teleprinter military radio order wire in the 1950s.
"QTH" is another that stuck around in other radio services referring
to a location.

Of course there are the "10 codes" used by the various police in
the USA during the late 1940s and 1950s. Dirty, Evil CBers
picked up on those and used them as short-form jargon, much to
the outrage of licensed amateurs, most of whom where not born in
1958 when CB on 11 meters was created. :-)

Some of the CB'ers (and quite a few of the hams on some of the 2 meter
repeaters) in NYC were using the un-offical 10 code of 10-100.
It meant, I have to go to the bathroom.

Avery Fineman wrote:
In article , Dennis Howdy
writes:


Serious question. What does "73" mean?

I have a stack of "73"mags. I'm not a ham however.
If I was, I of course would know.

Anybody? I know it's a stupid question, but I don't know.


After 1844 (the year of the first commercial telegraph service in the
USA, Baltimore, MD to Washington, DC), the blazing speed of the
early electromechanical sounders made it necessary for
commercial telegraphers to to use abbreviations for standard
phrases in telegrams. It gave telegraphers a chance to send more
telegrams during a workday, increase their profits, etc., etc.

A whole bunch of different two-number sub-codes were invented
and used. Few survive to today since morse codes have survived
only in amateur radio.

One of the enduring sub-codes is "73" meaning "Best regards."
Hams use it on voice, as well. It has become traditional jargon.

Morse code did NOT begin as the character = dot-dash group
but was originally ALL numbers! Morse got a financial and lab
mentor in railroad heir Alfred Vail who is reported to have suggested
a change from the all-number code to one where each letter,
number, and common punctuation mark has a unique dot-dash
group. This latter improvement, along with a way to increase the
distance of a landline by using a "relay" of an electromagnet whose
magnetically-coupled switch substituted for a telegrapher's key in
an unmanned telegraph line relay station. Up to three such
"relays" could be used on a wired telegraph circuit. That may or
may not be the etymological origin of the word "relay" as the
component we know today.

The final version of morse code coding still doesn't allow much real
speed in communication so a number of abbreviations were used as
well as telegraphers' own jargon. One of those latter was the "R"
sent as or after simple queries, meaning "okay?" or "okay"
respectively. The dit-dah-dit of "R" has a nice little pattern to it and
is intuitive for that. It continued on into radio after 1896..."R" meaning
"okay" or "all right." With WW2's widespread use of radio of all kinds,
operators on voice followed suit with the phonetic alphabet "R" or
"Roger." "Roger" as an affirmative caught on and became common
jargon on voice. In spoken language it has found its own niche in
military use exemplified by "roger that!" meaning very affirmative. :-)

"Q codes" are an example of three-letter sub-codes to mean whole
phrases, either as queries (followed by a question mark) or as
responses (followed by answer information). Those came about in
radio since the letter "Q" was seldom used in English words...and
the transistor hadn't been invented yet. :-) "QSY" was a query as
to the exact frequency of a station (with spark transmitters that was
more of a guess) but stayed around until WW2 when it was used on
voice and teleprinter as a command to change frequency. "QSY
Frisco George to 6885" would be an abbreviated command on either
a telephone or teleprinter military radio order wire in the 1950s.
"QTH" is another that stuck around in other radio services referring
to a location.

Of course there are the "10 codes" used by the various police in
the USA during the late 1940s and 1950s. Dirty, Evil CBers
picked up on those and used them as short-form jargon, much to
the outrage of licensed amateurs, most of whom where not born in
1958 when CB on 11 meters was created. :-)

Some of the CB'ers (and quite a few of the hams on some of the 2 meter
repeaters) in NYC were using the un-offical 10 code of 10-100.
It meant, I have to go to the bathroom.

Dennis wrote:
Serious question. What does "73" mean?

I have a stack of "73"mags. I'm not a ham however.
If I was, I of course would know.

Anybody? I know it's a stupid question, but I don't know.

TIA,

Dennis

"73" = "Best Regards"
"88" = "Love and Kisses"

do a Google for something called the "Phillips Code" which will show you
about a gazillion abreviations. It was used by WIRE telegraphers, as
opposed to wire-less (radio) CW.

Also HAM = "Had-Alota-Money" (before i got into this hobby) :-)

Harv, AI9NL

Read the orgin of 73 (several versions) and the most probable version at
URL:
http://ac6v.com/73.htm#73

Lots more origins and Ham speak there as well as URL:
http://ac6v.com/jargon.htm

--
Incognito By Necessity (:-(

If you can't convince them, confuse them.
- - -Harry S Truman




"Dennis" Howdy wrote in message
...
Serious question. What does "73" mean?

I have a stack of "73"mags. I'm not a ham however.
If I was, I of course would know.

Anybody? I know it's a stupid question, but I don't know.

TIA,

Dennis

In article , Dennis Howdy
writes:

Serious question. What does "73" mean?

I have a stack of "73"mags. I'm not a ham however.
If I was, I of course would know.

Anybody? I know it's a stupid question, but I don't know.

After 1844 (the year of the first commercial telegraph service in the
USA, Baltimore, MD to Washington, DC), the blazing speed of the
early electromechanical sounders made it necessary for
commercial telegraphers to to use abbreviations for standard
phrases in telegrams. It gave telegraphers a chance to send more
telegrams during a workday, increase their profits, etc., etc.

A whole bunch of different two-number sub-codes were invented
and used. Few survive to today since morse codes have survived
only in amateur radio.

One of the enduring sub-codes is "73" meaning "Best regards."
Hams use it on voice, as well. It has become traditional jargon.

Morse code did NOT begin as the character = dot-dash group
but was originally ALL numbers! Morse got a financial and lab
mentor in railroad heir Alfred Vail who is reported to have suggested
a change from the all-number code to one where each letter,
number, and common punctuation mark has a unique dot-dash
group. This latter improvement, along with a way to increase the
distance of a landline by using a "relay" of an electromagnet whose
magnetically-coupled switch substituted for a telegrapher's key in
an unmanned telegraph line relay station. Up to three such
"relays" could be used on a wired telegraph circuit. That may or
may not be the etymological origin of the word "relay" as the
component we know today.

The final version of morse code coding still doesn't allow much real
speed in communication so a number of abbreviations were used as
well as telegraphers' own jargon. One of those latter was the "R"
sent as or after simple queries, meaning "okay?" or "okay"
respectively. The dit-dah-dit of "R" has a nice little pattern to it and
is intuitive for that. It continued on into radio after 1896..."R" meaning
"okay" or "all right." With WW2's widespread use of radio of all kinds,
operators on voice followed suit with the phonetic alphabet "R" or
"Roger." "Roger" as an affirmative caught on and became common
jargon on voice. In spoken language it has found its own niche in
military use exemplified by "roger that!" meaning very affirmative. :-)

"Q codes" are an example of three-letter sub-codes to mean whole
phrases, either as queries (followed by a question mark) or as
responses (followed by answer information). Those came about in
radio since the letter "Q" was seldom used in English words...and
the transistor hadn't been invented yet. :-) "QSY" was a query as
to the exact frequency of a station (with spark transmitters that was
more of a guess) but stayed around until WW2 when it was used on
voice and teleprinter as a command to change frequency. "QSY
Frisco George to 6885" would be an abbreviated command on either
a telephone or teleprinter military radio order wire in the 1950s.
"QTH" is another that stuck around in other radio services referring
to a location.

Of course there are the "10 codes" used by the various police in
the USA during the late 1940s and 1950s. Dirty, Evil CBers
picked up on those and used them as short-form jargon, much to
the outrage of licensed amateurs, most of whom where not born in
1958 when CB on 11 meters was created. :-)

Component values are even given jargon. Back before International
Scientific terms were standardized, small-value capacitors were
rated in micro-micro-Farads, written "uuFd." Electronics industry
folks spoke of those values in "mickey-mikes." It didn't help when
the SI powers of a 1000 names were used...now those "uuFd" caps
are rated in "picoFarads" written "pFd," are now referred to as "puffs."
:-)

After the first transistorized portable radios appeared, common folk
started calling them using only one word, "transistor." That term has
been used long after vacuum tube portable radios disappeared and
the "transistorized" radios were now using integrated circuits. Human
beans will use any kind of name and jargon in some activity they
consider very exclusive. :-)

So, Best Regards all around but no 88s (wife frowns on that...),
Len Anderson
retired (from regular hours) electronic engineer person

Dennis Howdy wrote in message ...
Serious question. What does "73" mean?

"Best regards"

It derives from landwire telegraph usage, and appears as early as 1857
in a list of abbreviations. Some of these telegraph abbreviations were
transitioned into radio use and have survived because of their obvious
utility.

In 1859, Western Union standardized on the "92 code" in which the
numbers from 1 to 92 were assigned meanings. It was in this list that
73 got its present meaning. Later more numbers were added. Here's a
partial list:

1 Wait a moment
2 Important Business
3 What time is it?
4 Where shall I go ahead?
5 Have you business for me?
6 I am ready
7 Are you ready?
8 Close your key; circuit is busy
9 Close your key for priority business (Wire chief, dispatcher, etc)
10 Keep this circuit closed
12 Do you understand?
13 I understand
14 What is the weather?
15 For you and other to copy
17 Lightning here
18 What is the trouble?
19 Form 19 train order
21 Stop for a meal
22 Wire test
23 All copy
24 Repeat this back
25 Busy on another wire
26 Put on ground wire
27 Priority, very important
28 Do you get my writing?
29 Private, deliver in sealed envelope
30 No more (end)
31 Form 31 train order
32 I understand that I am to ...
33 Car report (Also, answer is paid for)
34 Message for all officers
35 You may use my signal to answer this
37 Diversion (Also, inform all interested)
39 Important, with priority on thru wire (Also, sleep-car report)
44 Answer promptly by wire
73 Best regards
88 Love and kisses
91 Superintendant's signal
92 Deliver promptly
93 Vice President and General Manager's signals
95 President's signal
134 Who is at the key?

"19" and "31" refer to train orders of two different types (absolute
and permissive). They were so well known that the terms "19 order" and
"31 order" were still in railroad use in the 1970s, after the
telegraph was gone from railroad operations.

The Morse code used in US wire telegraphy was the "American" Morse
code, which shares some codes with the "Continental" code we still use
today. (The continent referred to in the name is Europe, and it became
the standard code for radio work early in the 20th century).

The abbreviation "es" for "and" derives from the American Morse
character "&" which was dit dididit. The prosign "SK" with the letters
run together derives from the American Morse "30", which was
didididahdit daaaaaaaah (extra long dah is zero in that code).

There are some urban legends about Winchester rifles and such, but
they do not stand up to historical fact.

73 de Jim, N2EY

Dennis Howdy wrote in message ...
Serious question. What does "73" mean?

"Best regards"

It derives from landwire telegraph usage, and appears as early as 1857
in a list of abbreviations. Some of these telegraph abbreviations were
transitioned into radio use and have survived because of their obvious
utility.

In 1859, Western Union standardized on the "92 code" in which the
numbers from 1 to 92 were assigned meanings. It was in this list that
73 got its present meaning. Later more numbers were added. Here's a
partial list:

1 Wait a moment
2 Important Business
3 What time is it?
4 Where shall I go ahead?
5 Have you business for me?
6 I am ready
7 Are you ready?
8 Close your key; circuit is busy
9 Close your key for priority business (Wire chief, dispatcher, etc)
10 Keep this circuit closed
12 Do you understand?
13 I understand
14 What is the weather?
15 For you and other to copy
17 Lightning here
18 What is the trouble?
19 Form 19 train order
21 Stop for a meal
22 Wire test
23 All copy
24 Repeat this back
25 Busy on another wire
26 Put on ground wire
27 Priority, very important
28 Do you get my writing?
29 Private, deliver in sealed envelope
30 No more (end)
31 Form 31 train order
32 I understand that I am to ...
33 Car report (Also, answer is paid for)
34 Message for all officers
35 You may use my signal to answer this
37 Diversion (Also, inform all interested)
39 Important, with priority on thru wire (Also, sleep-car report)
44 Answer promptly by wire
73 Best regards
88 Love and kisses
91 Superintendant's signal
92 Deliver promptly
93 Vice President and General Manager's signals
95 President's signal
134 Who is at the key?

"19" and "31" refer to train orders of two different types (absolute
and permissive). They were so well known that the terms "19 order" and
"31 order" were still in railroad use in the 1970s, after the
telegraph was gone from railroad operations.

The Morse code used in US wire telegraphy was the "American" Morse
code, which shares some codes with the "Continental" code we still use
today. (The continent referred to in the name is Europe, and it became
the standard code for radio work early in the 20th century).

The abbreviation "es" for "and" derives from the American Morse
character "&" which was dit dididit. The prosign "SK" with the letters
run together derives from the American Morse "30", which was
didididahdit daaaaaaaah (extra long dah is zero in that code).

There are some urban legends about Winchester rifles and such, but
they do not stand up to historical fact.

73 de Jim, N2EY